Keeping The Dream Alive
by TheFABFive2015
Summary: TAG 2015. A follow up to Extraction. As Aidan takes that promised trip to Tracy Island, the boys make sure it's one he'll never forget.


Awwww! Wasn't that another, brilliant eppie? So many references to the original series. And Aidan - what a star!

Since we didn't see it in the episode, I thought I'd write my ideas on how that trip to Tracy Island might have gone. He's already met two of his heroes - so how will he react to the others? And how will _they_ react to _him_?

Enjoy!

* * *

Keeping The Dream Alive

"Thunderbird Two on final approach to Tracy Island... with two _very_ special guests..."

So, then. Another successful mission. Another safe and unscathed homecoming. The end to every call-out that Scott Tracy prayed for. Yet he couldn't help but frown as he glanced around the den.

Yes, MAX had dusted and hoovered it to within an inch of its life, but... well, this wasn't just their home, about to receive some unexpected visitors. It was the base for International Rescue. The best response team in the world, whose very existence relied so much on the secrecy that had created it.

Glancing at the photograph beside him, he couldn't but wonder how his father would react. What he'd say if he'd been there, to see a hyper-curious child let loose on his island.

He wasn't, of course. No, he wasn't... there. Here, with the family whose silently shared dream each night was to find him, and bring him home. So yes, the dryly chiding voice that now ghosted through his mind was a bittersweet comfort.

 _'Just make him welcome, son... he's earned it... oh, and MAX missed a spot... that edge of my desk? Yeah, son... yes, just there._ '

Giving that corner of finest mahogany another brush of his sleeve, just to make sure, Scott then gave his father's photo the same, wistful treatment. Let his fingers run over the frame, then over the face that dominated his dreams.

He could feel the same, proudly warm smile settle onto his own. He just wished it could reach his eyes.

Still, no time for such maudlin thoughts now. That distant rumble of Two's engines was getting close enough to bring him instinctively to the windows. Loud enough for her runway to transform for her return - magically enough for his smile to come back again too. Not just wider, but happier, as he remembered the first time he'd seen it.

Two lines of falling, bouncing palm trees, clearing Two's path back into her hangar. Nature and technology in perfect harmony, and... well, yes, one of the weirdest things he'd ever seen.

Even if he couldn't see them now, he knew this routine like clockwork. And yes, he could just imagine what young Aidan would be saying right now, because - well, yes, he still loved to say it too.

"Oh, _wow_! That is _so cool_!"

Glancing across at Gordon, Virgil could see the same thought shining through his brother's eyes. Okay, so he was bucking the trend here. Letting Aidan out of his seat so he could stand beside them was a 'safety first' risk alone, but... well, yes, just this once, he could give the day's _real_ hero a treat he'd never forget.

"Yes, that's where I'll be coming in to land," he grinned, gently banking Two around for a once-in-a-lifetime tour around the island. "But while I'm getting us down to the right height and speed... well, Aidan... what do you think?"

Through such tiny windows, of course, his view was a bit restricted. But then a careful dip to starboard brought the island back into a far better view. A massive but gentle arm kept him secure against the side of Virgil's seat. And the response? Well, pretty short - but still everything that Virgil could wish for.

" _Woooooooow_!"

"Yeah, we kinda like it too," Gordon agreed, throwing Virgil the kind of grin that had his long suffering Pun-o-Meter on instant alert."Don't we... _Virg_?"

Ah, so they were back to this again? Well, fine. As kid brother gave, so he'd get right back in return. With interest.

"Yes, _Gordo_ , we surely do."

Yeah, that had him. Before he could take any kind of advantage, though, Aidan did what hero-worshipping kids did best.

"So, you've all got nicknames? I mean, I know yours is Virg, and Gordon's is Gordo, but... hey, I _bet_ I know Scott's! _Scotty_... right?"

Oh, the bright eyed innocence on that idolising face! Oh, the pure devilment that pushed two younger brothers towards the mother of temptations. If not for the repercussions, they might both have given into it.

Instead, the sensible one settled for a nicely casual shrug, while the not quite so sensible one -

"Oh, sure! That's the most obvious one! But we call him Scooter too..."

\- condemned himself to a week of scrubbing out their bathrooms -

"...or Beam-Me-Up..."

\- with his toothbrush -

"...and this is a _really_ neat one... _Chisel_..."

\- no, make that his whole damn lifetime... with Grandma's cooking to boot.

Around thirty seconds too late, Gordon now realized he'd just dug himself into a hole deep enough for him to see Australia. And with the only means of salvation still grinning like a bear who'd overdone the berries... yes, time to do what he should have done to start with, and just shut the hell up.

"But we tend to go with Scott, 'cos... well, he _is_ the eldest..."

Aaah yes, the damage control of a desperate Tracy. And was his ever loving big brother going to come to his rescue?

"...with the powers to send _some_ of us to our rooms..."

Was he hell. Okay, when they had their island to themselves again - _this_... _meant_... _war_.

Before such chaos could be unleashed, though, they had other matters to tend to. The tour of a lifetime for a very special little hero. And, more seriously, some proper medical care for his injured father. So yes, Virgil's next call held all the calm professionalism that it both needed and deserved.

"Thunderbird Two to Tracy Island... I'll be taking Dr Williams and Aidan straight to the Infirmary..."

"FAB, Virgil... I'll meet you there."

Still determined to avoid a brotherly grounding, Gordon then turned to offer Aidan his best tour guide grin, while Virgil kept to the still serious business of getting them safely on the ground.

" _That's_ Scott... not just our _really_ cool big brother, but also our Commander out in the field."

"Yes, he flies Thunderbird One, and gives you all of your orders," Aidan nodded, with the same eager-beaver brightness that had impressed two of his greatest heroes.

To their amusement, the boy's eyes were everywhere now, trying to take in everything around him. Virgil's eyes, though, just rolled as his brother plumbed the depths of shameless, butt-saving grovelling.

"Yes, he does... and he's real good at it too... like I said, he's a _great_ big brother... the best there is!"

Too distracted to understand the mutters of 'pass me a bucket' beside him, Aidan just nodded. From those bouncing palm trees, to the soaring cliffs behind them, to the rocks that seemed to slide right into the ground to reveal Thunderbird Two's hangar... yes, he wanted to remember it. He wanted to remember every single second of it.

By the time they'd stopped, and Two had spun around on her turning pad, all ready for her next launch, his eyes were like saucers. By the time the boarding hatch had lowered them all to the ground, they were about ready to fall out of his head - especially when another of his idolised heroes appeared to greet them.

Still in his everyday clothes, Scott Tracy wasn't... well, quite what Aidan had expected. For one thing, he was tall. _Really_ tall, taller even than his dad, with _really_ blue eyes. Kind eyes, though, that softened from an equally friendly smile.

"Hi, Aidan, I'm Scott... welcome to Tracy Island."

Words he'd heard through countless dreams, that he was now hearing for real. And yes, of course he was as thrilled and excited as he could possibly be, but... well, none of those dreams had included an injured father, who'd almost died trying to keep him safe. So yes, even as he grinned back and shook Scott's hand, the smile on Aidan's face wasn't as happy as it might have been.

So yes, as soon he saw him glance anxiously to where his father stood between two humanised crutches, Scott responded just as quickly - in full big brother mode now as he settled a reassuring hand onto the boy's shoulder.

"Don't worry, Aidan, we've got the best medical facilities here... and Virgil's the closest thing we have to a doctor, so your dad's going to just fine. So let's get you both checked over, and you can tell me all about this neat stuff you did to help him... okay?"

Even when the boy nodded, Scott still recognized the uncertainty behind it. So that hand stayed right where it was on Aidan's shoulder as he led the way up to the Infirmary. Kept that precious contact of comfort and reassurance, while Virgil slid just as easily into his role of medic responder. And while he quietly assured his patient that it was a clean break, with no complications, Scott kept up the same, calming encouragement for the son who couldn't bear to leave his side.

"Yeah, you see, Aidan, how fast Virgil's setting your dad's leg? Yeah, we tend to get hurt a lot ourselves, so... well, having all this neat equipment is real important for us too, so we can get back on our feet again as fast as we can. And like I said, Virgil's just like our own doctor, so your dad's in really good hands here."

Yes, from years of experience, he had that skill down to a fine art - although the brilliance of Brains' technology didn't hurt either. However it had come, though, the joy on Aidan's face as his father stood on a now set and splinted leg was precious enough to make all of them smile.

With his father now back on his feet again, the fun could really start. And best of all? Better than being here, on Tracy Island? Well, thanks to a good old fashioned wheelchair, he'd get to see it all too.

Where to start, though? Well, a glance down to the remains of a battered red rocket made that a given. And in a day that had already sprung up so many surprises, the one waiting for him in Three's hangar pretty much topped them all.

" _Wooooooow_!"

Wow, indeed. Nothing he'd ever seen before paid her any kind of justice. Up close, towering above them, in all her sleek and intricate glory, she was just -

"Wow! She's the most beautiful Thunderbird in the world!"

For three of his hosts, of course, that point was up for good natured debate. But for the fourth, who now ambled over to join them - well, in his eyes at least, that contest was already won.

"Yeah, you won't get any argument from me!"

Still grinning, even more at three mutters of disagreement, Alan was more than happy to make the most of it. And for Aidan, it was yet another surprise, to find out the pilot of his favourite Thunderbird wasn't that much older than he was.

"Whoa, so _you're_ Alan Tracy... and you get to fly Thunderbird Three into _space_!"

Yes, nothing like so much common ground to build a new friendship on. And his next, equally star struck question? Well, yes, it really couldn't be anything else.

"Wow, you're so lucky, Alan, she must be such a dream to fly up there in space, and... I - I mean, where do you sit? I tried to figure out on my model here, but..."

"Hey, you _made_ that? And you used it to make a radio to call for help? _Cool_!"

Yes, the proverbial peas in a pod, now completely oblivious to everything and everyone else around them - even the father who now offered his fellow elephants in the room a rueful smile.

"I'm sorry, Scott, but once he starts talking about space, and International Rescue... well, it's pretty much impossible to get him to stop."

"Yeah, sounds like someone else we know," Scott grinned, nodding to where two kindred spirits had now tag-teamed up on the genius who'd made it all possible. "And I hope you realize, Dr Williams, that when they get to Brains' lab, we won't see them for the rest of the night."

Still watching his son make the best friends he'd ever have, the proudest father on the planet felt it only fair to warn them -

"Well, as long as he doesn't blow anything up..."

"...hey, no problem... things go 'boom' around here all the time..."

\- that life with a science loving genius tended to be a bit loud.

"Tracy Island, this is Thunderbird Five... we have a situation..."

Just as life on Tracy Island had its own, uniquely regular 'uh-oh' moment. He had to say, though, that the response to it was surprisingly, and admirably, calm. The click of an earpiece, and a soft, now utterly serious voice.

"Go ahead, John..."

Alerted by their own comm-links, Alan and Brains were already striding back to re-join them, with Aidan still right at Alan's side. And when they saw Scott nod, and Alan start running towards his entry hatch, both father and son knew this once-in-a-lifetime honour was about to be topped beyond their wildest dreams.

"Oh, _wow_! Dad, we're - we're going to see Thunderbird Three launch! For _real_!"

"Yes, Aidan you are... but, uh... not from here," Scott grinned, gently nudging her greatest admirer towards the nearest set of doors. "Trust me, when she starts her engines, this hangar gets _real_ toasty."

"B-But we _can_ watch her safely from one of our viewpoints," Brains added, leading the way into a nearby elevator, while Scott connected another call through to John.

Up on Five, his brother smiled his calm, unflappable smile. Checked his latest readings, before telling the head of International Rescue what he hoped so much to hear.

"FAB, Scott... yes, we've... uh... got time."

Breaking the connection, Scott allowed himself another wistful smile as he followed the others onto the patio. Checked once more that they were all in the safest positions, before giving Alan the go ahead for what they all wanted to see.

"Okay, Alan... away you go."

For several seconds, all stayed quiet. But then a distant roar, like that of an approaching train, grew louder. Louder still. The ground beneath them started to shake, enough for Scott to slide a steadying hand around Aidan's shoulders, while the other pointed those wide, excited eyes in the right direction.

"Okay, Aidan, here she comes... in three..."

"...two...!"

"...one!"

Right on cue, Three appeared through the gap in the Round House. To yells and high-fives of utter delight, she rose into the sky on pillars of fire, riding them up through clouds that lit up in her wake.

Then, as breathtakingly fast as she'd appeared, she was gone. Out of sight, already half way to her true domain. But to a spellbound ten year old, still a sight that he'd never forget.

A moment to treasure, that deserved the best kind of 'thank you' that a hero for another time could think of.

Startled at first, that such small arms could hug him so tightly, Scott then found himself responding to it as naturally as breathing. Arms that had been destined to guide, and encourage, and protect, closed in turn around Aidan's shoulders. And in a moment where there was so much this amazing little boy would want to say, a voice of complete gentleness told him he didn't need to.

"You're welcome, Aidan. You're so very welcome."

As more arms came to rest just as gently around them, Aidan then raised his head, blinking up at him through tears that he was still too young to understand.

Scott understood them, though - just as he knew that this was the moment to let him go. Nudge him back into the arms of his father, because... yes, that was where he needed to be now.

Because when he'd stood on a windswept beach, and watched his first rocket launch roar into the sky... yes, he'd just needed his father to hold him too.

Unseen by an emotionally overwhelmed little boy, Jeff Tracy had smiled. Now, twenty years later, that same little boy proudly did the same.


End file.
